Antileak fountain pen



June 16, 1953 a. F. MIESSNER ANTILEAK FOUNTAIN PEN Filed Jan. 18 1951 Patented .June 1 6, 1953 Benjamin F. MiessnenMorristown,

N. J assignor to Miessner Inventions Inc., Morristown, N. J.

Application Janu-ary is, 1951, Serial N0. 206,678

to variations of ambient temperature or atmospheric pressure.

In my copending patent application Serial No.

167,237, filed June 9, 1950, I have showna fountain pen with a main reservoir section of large ink capacity, separated from a subsidiary reservoir immediately adjacent the writing point, by

a normally-closed valve within the ink sac reservoir. This valve is operable by an external button which applies a transverse pressure upon it and at the same time applies pressure to the ink sacfor expelling ink through the valve and into the pen point collector. Y The present invention this construction in that it eliminates the ink sac press button, and ink sac depressing strip, and provides a construction which greatly increases the ink capacity of the pens main reservoir, and it also provides full visibility of the ink supply and improves the operation of the pen.

Other advantages will be seen from the description which follows in'connection with the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of my new construction;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure. 1 with'the addition of a band to which a cap, not shown, engagesthe barrel 'I-being shown as made of thin metal;

' Figure 3 is an' enlarg ed sectional view on the line 3-:3 of Figure 1 the valve being in closed position;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but with the valve moved to open position.

Referring now. to the details, I, as shown in Figure 1, is a barrel type main ink reservoir which is preferably made of tough transparent material that is transversely elastic but rigid longitudinally so that it, can be compressed tov operate a valve member 6 positioned within the barrel I which is force slip fitted on the hood 2 up to the point l3 along with the valve member 6. The barrel I can be made'of Celluloid or some other synthetic plastic materials such as polystyrenes or polyethylenes so long as they are impervious to water is an improvement on 8 Claims. (Cl. mil-42.16)

vapor. I have found that Celluloid is not thoroughly impervious to water vapor after a short period of time but it "can be treated by impregnating its inner surface with an anti-wetting agent such as Dri-Film and under considerable pressure and when so treated is quite satisfactory, especially where the pen is in every day use. Ex-

tremely thin metal with spring temper can also be used for the barrel la as shown in Figure 2 where transparency is not desired, and if metal such as stainless steel is used the wall thickness should be only a few mils while with some plastics the wall thickness of 10 to 15 mils has been found suitable. The hood 2 has integrally mounted therewith a large diameter, conico-cylindrical pen having a shank 5 terminating in a writing point I l and which contains feed bar and collector element 3 having a longitudinal ink supply chanml 4 terminating opposite the hole 12 adjacent the end of the shank 5. Cemented at 13 onto and within the barrel end of feed bar 3 is the nipple valve 6 made of a suitable elastic materialsuch as rubber or rubberlike plastic, etc. At its tip end valve 6 has a slit 1, made by a sharp, thinv tool which removes no material. This slit is normally closed by the compliance of the valve material and because of its bulbous shape any pressure against its convex, ink reservoir side, increases the ink tightness of this slit.

Increases of internal over external air pressure on the barrel, therefore serve only to seal this ink valve tighter, so that no ink will pass intothe collector and to the writing point. f However, a'transverse pressure applied to the thin-walled, elastic barrel, parallel to the direction of the slit in the nipple valve, will deform its normally circular shape into an elliptical shape and open theslit'in its tip end.

The ink feed channel 4 in the feed bar 2 communicates with the'ink collecting capillary spaces 9 in its pen end and'with the annular space 8 inside the tubular pen shank 5 and outside of the capillary collector end of the feed bar 3.

The barrel force-slip fits over the nipple valve. Silicone grease or petroleum may be applied on the outer surface of the nipple valve to aid in this slippage as well as to inhibit ink leakage at this joint. Additionally a band l0 may be securely but removably fastened around the open mouth of the barrel I, at its junction with the hood as shown in Figure 2. This prevents stretching of the barrel mouth and loosening of the above mentioned joint. This band may also be provided with external screw threads for cooperation with internal screw threads in the cap element of this pen. This band is made to be decorative and will also act as a finger grip.

This pen may be partially filled by applying transverse pressure to the barrel at or near the nipple valve location, and in the directionof the slit in the nipple valve tip. Such pressure opens the slit'and forces air outof the reservoir. Submerging the pen point in an ink supply and re- 3 leasing this transverse barrel pressure allows the elastic barrel to resume its normal cylindrical shape of larger volumetric capacity so that external atmospheric pressure on the surface of the ink in the supply vessel forces ink up through the feed channel 4, through the slit 1 in the valve 8 and into the reservoir barrel 1.

If the transverse barrel pressure be applied by' the thumb on one side at the barrels mid-section while one or more fingers be applied to the opposite side the barrel can be filled to about one fourth its total capacity by one such operation.

Following this if the pen be turned point up, another such pressure will force out more air and release of this pressure with the pen point submerged in ink will increase the reservoir supply. Further such operations will serve to fill the reservoir completely.

Alternatively th barrel may be removed and filled with a medicine dropper by forcing the tip end of this medicine dropper through the slit in the valve before expelling its ink.

Inasmuch as this reservoir has a capacity of the order of to 1-0 times that of conventional ink-sac types of fountain pens of the same over all dimensions, one complete filling is sufficient for a very large amount of Writing.

When the pen points internal ink collection spaces are filled, this supply is sufiicient for five to ten pages of writing. Since this supply is held in these capillary collection spaces in free connection with the atmosphere it cannot be dislodged and made to flood or overflow the writing point by any increase of air pressure such for example as might be induced by the warmth of the writers forefinger and thumb at the bore end of the writing point or hood. Atmospheric air moves freely in and out of the space between the collector and the nipple valve. What ink is not retained by these capillary collection spaces is drawn back into the reservoir upon releases of the transverse barrel pressure.

When the collectors ink supply has been Written out, it may be refilled by another squeeze of the barrel across the nipple valve section and parallel to the flattened, tip end of .the pen point nibs. Since the lower end of these collector spaces is in full view, such barrel pressure is continued only until these spaces are filled.

I have not shown a cap as it forms no part of my invention but if one is furnished with the pen it should preferably be of the non-vented type to prevent evaporation of ink from the collector.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention can be readily applied to pens having a conventional hook, feed bar, collector and pen elements such as are shown in the drawing but when so applied, the new features make a decidedly improved instrument for writing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An anti-leak fountain pen including a hood carrying a pen point, a feed bar and collector with a longitudinal supply channel through the feed bar and capillary spaces at the pen end of the feed bar, a nipple type valve member-of suitable elastic material such as rubber having itsv open end located over and cemented to the inner end of the feed bar, said valve having a slit without loss of material in its convex end and an ink barrel preferably of transparent material that is tightly fitted to the hood over said valve member, said barrel being longitudinally stifi but transversely compressible whereby pressure applied to the'barrel in a direction of the length 4 of the slit will open the valve and force ink out of the barrel into said supply channel.

2. An anti-leak fountain pen including a hood carrying at least a pen point and a. feed bar having a longitudinal supply channel therethrough, a nipple type valve member of suitable elastic material cemented to the inner end of the feed bar, the valve having a normally closed slit in its free curved end and an ink barrel fitting tightly over the valve member and inner end of the feed bar at its junction with the hood, the barrel being longitudinally stiff but transversely compressible as and for the purpose described.

' 3. A fountain pen as set forth in claim 2 further defined in that the slit in the valve member is located so that any pressure on the barrel during normal writing will not open the slit but it will be opened by turning the pen and then applying pressure to the barrel by the thumb and one or more fingers of the user.

4. A fountain pen .as set forth in claim 2 further defined in that a band is cemented around what is normally the open end of the barrel over its junction with the normal open end of the valve member at the inner end of the hood.

5. A fountain pen as set forth in claim 2 further defined in that a band is cemented around what is normally the open end of the barrel over its junction with the normal open end of the valve member at the inner end of the hood, and further defined in that the band has external screw threads therein to receive the threaded internal end of a protecting cap.

6. A fountain pen including, a hood carrying a pen point and a feed bar having a channel leading to the pen point, an ink barrel suitably attached to the hood and feed bar, the barrel being compressible in a radial direction but rigid longitudinally and a nipple like member of suitable elastic material having its normally open end securely attached to at least the feed bar whil its conical end has a slit therein which can be opened when pressure applied to the barrel, is

. transmitted thereto in a direction longitudinal of the slit.

7. A fountain pen as set forth in claim 6 further defined in that a clamping band is removably fastened to the ink barrel at the junction of the barrel, nipple and hood, said band having screw threads on its outer surface to receive at protecting cap.

8. A fountain pen as set forth in claim 6 further defined in that a clamping band is remove ably fastened to the ink barrel at the junction of the barrel, nipple .and hood, said band acting as a finger grip and as a receiver for a. protecting cap.

BENJAMIN F. MIESSNER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Country Date France June 28 1937- Number Number 

